


Adoptables

by Cear_IK



Category: Original Work, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, StandAlones, WIP, adoptable storylines
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-12
Updated: 2019-02-21
Packaged: 2019-07-08 16:51:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15934514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cear_IK/pseuds/Cear_IK
Summary: I often come up with a lot of stories that I have neither the time, nor the tenacity, and sometimes not the skill to write to their full potential. However, I feel that these storylines are too good to just forget about, and for those writers who have the skill and the time to write, but don't know what to write... Well, these are for you. If you choose to write one of these, please just let me know so I can read it too! If you have any questions, please always feel free to ask.This work is complete, for now. At least until I dream up some other plot that I would love to read but do not have the perseverance to complete.





	1. Information

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is where the inspiration for the story, and a description of the type of story will reside. Following that will be a short story description, mostly on the characters and tropes within the story. Spoilers will not appear unless absolutely necessary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers will appear here, probably more than I would like (like how I typed up 90% of a better version of the Information/Introduction chapter the night I first posted this fic, only to accidentally delete it because I was working off of my phone at 3am or so and wasn't going to get enough sleep before work the next day).

The story itself will live here, written in whatever format I ended up recording it in. Details - like names - will most likely be lacking ((although author notes like this one will explain things that cannot be known to the characters but must be known to the reader (and potential writer) at that point)).

**DISCLAIMER:**

Plot points that are potential but not necessarily actual parts of the story, or other tidbits that are a part of the plot but still separate from the main part of it will be held under a disclaimer like the title above.

 

 

**Excerpt:**

_Any pre-written excerpt that I care to share will be written here, in italics, as separate from the rest of the work as I can make it so that those who do not wish to read it - like potential authors who don't want to color their own ideas with preconceptions - don't have to. Don't want to read the excerpt? Just skip to the line and avoid the italics. I'll try to add a disclaimer on top of the bolded "Excerpt" title, also separate from the rest of the work, as well._

* * *

 

  * Details that I use to hold positions for ease of writing but are not necessarily what I portray them as (like genders) will be declared and explained here, after the line and in list format
  * Details that are necessary for the current format of the plot will also be declared and explained here
  * Details/vernacular that I use that  _I_ understand because I live in my own head, but may not be clear to people who don't live in my head, will also be declared and explained here
  * I may not actually cover all the details or otherwise that fall under any (or more) of the three categories. I will do my best, but my usual writing time is very late at night (or very early in the morning, depending on your perspective) and I will very likely miss things.
  * Questions are always welcome.




	2. Star Crossed Lovers- NOT Romeo and Juliet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by - but not limited by - the story of _Hades and Persephone_ , this is a slightly unconventional love story. The heroine undertakes a lot of character development- going from naive princess-in-tower to independent bad-ass-savior. The hero may be rather static, and is very (but secretly, even from himself) insecure. There is give and take.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> posted from my phone

A _Hades and Persephone-_ inspiredstory where he rules over some harsh, dreary Kingdom, but goes to spy on her in secret when he gets weary. Eventually he gets depressed enough that she's the only thing that makes him happy, but their natures are polar opposites ((add essence of Beauty and the Beast, but reversed, where the Beast spies on the Beauty)) and one day he is caught just watching by a member of her family and is warned off (("you're not good enough for her, and even if you were, you'd harm her")) so he doesn't even watch her anymore. Some of his subjects found out about his liking of her, however, and desperate to raise their lord out of his depression they kidnap her. They despise her, though, because they are jealous of her, because they are dreary and dark and she is light and happy, so they don't treat her well ((what they really did is use their Lord's emotional welfare as an excuse to harm her; they're jealous she can make their lord happy when they think they can't)). He's FURIOUS, and saves her, punishing them and treating her kindly and respectfully, trying not to impose on her too much. She originally thinks he sent them but his reactions are so sincere that she believes him and he becomes her hero. She starts out with a little hero worship which scares him, so he shows her his cruel reality ((trying to scare her away)), which makes her actually fall for him and eventually she convinces him that they can actually be together.

Right before their happy ending however, someone comes and convinces him that she's suffering from Stockholm syndrome, playing on his doubts and insecurities, and she _sees_ his heart break through his eyes and he tries to force her away, but she  won't go because she truly loves him. She's forced out anyway, not entirely by him. Things go back to how they were, except she's sadder, much more depressed, self-volatile, and she's determined to get him back despite her family. His realm is worse; he's more withdrawn, does his duty and not much else- the rest of the world notices ((his light is gone, he's colder)). He still watches her wistfully in secret ((self-torture)). He's caught and harmed by his opposition in the light ((political opponents, people who actually think he is evil, her avenging family; once again people making excuses to do awful things)), but it's worse than when she was harmed because she was confused as to _why_ ((naivete, innocent, not understanding)), but he thinks he deserves it ((self-hatred, despair, grief, depression)). It's her turn to protect and save him. She helps him heal, physically and emotionally ((her feelings can't be stockholm or any other prisoner syndrome if  _she's_ the one with power)). She cannot stay in his realm nor he in hers ((the failing of his realm because he wasn't in it is what alerted her to his disappearance and subsequent trouble)) so she binds him to her and her to him so they can never be separated again. 

Happy ending ((hopefully. maybe bittersweet? depends on the type of binding. it would suck to be permanently physically separated but fully aware of the other's mind))

* * *

 

  * Romantic relationship is not necessary (I am a firm believer in the three types of relationships- lovers, family, and platonic soulmates)
  * heterosexual relationship not necessary
  * sexual relationship not necessary
  * male/female genders not necessary
  * "light" and "dark" may not necessarily be conventional depictions of actual light and dark- they need only differ greatly
  * her "family" is not necessarily actual family, just those associated with her and her station
  * his kingdom is not necessarily actually dark and dreary, just filled with cruel realities
  * it is necessary to the current plotline that he fill a vital function in his kingdom that no one else can fulfill nor can it be left undone for a great length of time



 


	3. Undertale, Behind Bright Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one is Undertale-based, and was conceived in a dream 9/8 and I started to write it up at 2:30 am on 9/9. All the characters are Undertale characters except for the human protagonist, but the Underground is not necessarily the classic one... appropriate adjustments would need to be made around the different personalities and mechanics, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> originally posted from my phone, but wrote most of it up on my 'puter. It is, admittedly, 2:30am once again (goddamnit, i have to stop doing this) and I have had at least one drink tonight...

The human is close friends with monsters, specifically ((and especially)) with Sans and by extension (and then in truth) with Papyrus. ((Perhaps she became that way by protecting a monster?)) She has their longterm friendship, gaining Sans' trust. Suddenly, with no prior warning nor inclination, the human waits until she and Papyrus are alone together before saying horrible, horrible things to him. She tries to drive a wedge between herself and Papyrus, tries to make Papyrus want nothing to do with her ((while secretly trying not to break his heart and carefully crafting her words not to attack Papyrus directly- this leds to some interesting word choices)). Sans appears, having heard some of what she was saying, and she verbally abuses him too, being a bit more harsh because he's a bit less sensitive and she's trying to get  _them_ to break their friendship bond with  _her_ ((rather than outright declaring that she hates them, which is utterly untrue)), because she believes that if  _they_ are responsible for the break, it'll hurt them less. Papyrus starts catching on first, with Sans catching on soon after ((mostly due to a couple of Papyrus' observant remarks about her careful word choice)). Before they can out her completely, she throws her _self_ out of their house, slamming the door so hard that the windows rattle. 

Papyrus is all but heartbroken, and Sans is...  _Betrayed_ is a good word for only one of the feelings he has. There is a little bit of confusion - doubt - but it's mostly overshadowed by his protective anger on behalf of Papyrus, and his wounded anger on behalf of himself. Due to her careful word choice, Papyrus still wants to believe in her, but he won't go looking for her or approach her should he see her.

After an intermediate amount of time ((longer than half a day but shorter than half a week)), after Sans' immediate emotions have simmered down but before the skeletons can properly warn the other monsters, he decides to spy on her. While he is spying on her, she runs into Mettaton, who greats her warily. She is MUCH meaner to him ((he never was close to her like the skeletons were, and he is also much less likely to be harmed by mere mean words)). Mettaton and her have a vicious verbal match before he stalks off to 'go warn' the other monsters that 'the human has shown her true colors' (she agrees with him). Once he's gone and she's ostensibly alone ((she is unaware of Sans' spying and doesn't see him when she checks)) she collapses against the wall clutching her chest where her soul would be, clearly in great pain. Sans' ability as Judge allows him to see that each negative encounter with the monsters - whom she actually very much cares about - is dimming her soul, with the closer she was to the monster, the worse the damage is. Confusion in Sans moves right up there with Betrayal and Sans' doubts become a little more vocal. Later, when they all talk about Mettaton's encounter, Undyne wants to go beat her up, but cooler heads prevailed and Undyne is  **ordered** to have nothing to do with the human, which she reluctantly obeys.

Over the next week or so, monsters avoid her and Sans continues to spy on her. Over that week Sans watches as each dismissive, evasive, and defensive action by a monster both dims the human's soul ((and if possible for him to see, makes her resolve stronger)). He is  _very_ confused now, because the human started hanging out with the monster hater group around the same time she started verbally hurting monsters and her words match her new friends ((although she has never  **EVER** physically hurt a monster)). Her actions tell him that she's completely gone over to the enemy, but her soul tells him that it hurts her to do so, and souls never lie.

After another indeterminate amount of time ((long enough for things to become the new 'normal')), Sans gets captured by the monster hate group. He's somehow kept from avoiding capture, and the political situation is such that he cannot use magic on or attack a human, even in clear self defense. He's divested of his clothes and his wrists are manacled to the rotten wooden wall. As he struggles, he can feel the staples attaching the chains on the manacles to the wall give a bit. Oh, if only he was stronger, because they left his clothes  _right there_ , just out of reach. They jeer and laugh at his writhing attempts to break free, but he's too physically weak to yank the staples out of the wall. He runs out of physical stamina and gives up. He sees one of them approach with a whip, and he trembles in terror and horror as the human winds back to strike him across his ribs. But when the whip comes down, the human who 'betrayed' him is there, taking the lash meant for his chest against her back, calmly yanking out the staples securing his chains to the wall and tying his beloved, iconic jacket around his waist even as the whip tears through cloth and skin. With a smile, she tells him to shortcut home, so he does, appearing alone in the middle of his living room ((coincidentally in the middle of a powwow organizing a search party for him)), naked except for his jacket and his chains, and so traumatized that his bones are rattling. Papyrus, of course, scoops him up immediately, holding him together even as he falls apart, so Sans doesn't completely  _break_ , per se, but it still takes him a while to come out of the panic attack and he's still fragile when he tells everyone what happened. They go looking for their human, but... she, and the monster hate group, are nowhere to be found. Over the amount of time it takes for Sans to recover, it starts to become logical to think that She's dead. Sans doesn't - quite - believe that, though. Over the month ((or so, or plus- a rather long time, but only up to a year or so)), there hasn't been any direct physical attacks against monsters either. And then...

One day, while Sans is wandering alone, he finds her. She's wearing little more than rags - what seems to be the remains of the very same long-sleeve shirt that she had been wearing when she rescued him - and she's held up against the brick wall by her manacles. A collar secured to the same wall is the only thing keeping her head from lolling against her chest. A strip of black fabric is tied around her eyes. He gets a better look at her face, and sees the scars trailing out from under the blindfold.  
... there can't be more than an inch of her unscarred and she is distressingly thin. 

He reaches out to touch her face, and breathes a curse in horror. She flinches, and he is horrified to think that she is conscious. He brushes his thumb against her chin in an attempt to soothe, but he is soon even  _more_ horrified when she opens her mouth to whine, and he realizes both that her tongue was cut out, and that not only is she conscious- but she is  _aware_.

He breaks the chains with carefully placed bones, supporting her as she collapses and shortcutting them back to his livingroom, where she almost instantly puts her back against a solid object ((the couch or a wall)). She's making hesitant gestures, and he realizes she's signing his name, only to almost frantically sign "sorry" over and over again. He's glad that Papyrus enters the room right then because seeing her freak out is starting to freak  _him_ out. Papyrus is startled and surprised, but steps in to take control with surprising maturity and competence ((Undyne taught the creampuff the healing/aid/rescue side of guard work)). Toriel is called, and she and the brothers learn several things:

  * do  **NOT** go  _near_ her back, because it's something that automatically triggers a severe case of Bad ((not even if she is unconscious, and poor Toriel can't even get near it to heal it and has to heal her from the front))
  * her tongue was cut out (Sans already glimpsed this, but the others learn it too)
  * she is VERY sorry and regrets treating them the way she did
  * she has been conditioned so that touch = pain ((even though she was a very touchy-feely person before and always needed some form of touch or snuggle))
  * they had somehow removed her irises without damaging her eye function ((irises control the amount of light allowed into the eye))
  * she is now mute and all but blind ((except in the darkest of circumstances or if they get her specially functioning glasses to control the amount of light for her))



and most importantly:

  * the human had been protecting them by giving up their friendship and surrendering herself



 

The human is introduced back into the group slowly, only ever one at a time and NEVER more than one a day ((sometimes she has bad days, and no one is introduced to her)). Undyne is given Very Strict Warnings and a short summary, so is quiet and subdued and behaves herself ((the human knows how Undyne would - rightfully - react to words like the ones she threw at Papyrus, so even with Undyne on her best behavior, the visit still doesn't go well)). Slowly, the human recovers, and just as slowly, she is made to believe that the monsters don't blame her for her actions, and that she is forgiven. Friendship bonds are reforged, and are stronger for it. Throughout, Sans is almost always near her, helping her. First from guilt, but then because they are more-than-friends ((not lovers, or at least not yet)). She trusts him enough to put her back to him ((none of them, not even Toriel, have seen her back)). Then she trusts him enough to put his hands on her back when they hug, eventually even enough to let him touch her back under her shirt, bone-on-skin.

**POSSIBLE VIOLENT SCENE:**

It's at the point where he can hug her from behind (with a warning) that the house is attacked ((it having taken the hate group this long to find out where their toy went)). Everyone is there but the girl reacts first, blocking the projectile aimed at Sans and driving the attackers back. Undyne wants to join in the counter-attack, but is held back, once again because monster-on-human violence is a Very Bad Thing in the current political climate, even in clear self-defense. The girl is about to use deadly force when Papyrus stops her- and she body-slams him out of the way of a taser. This knocks him over (with little to no actual damage to him) and stops him from trying to interfere in the fight again. Despite breaking her arm, she continues to fight the invaders (with both hands, to the horror of the skeletons), eventually turning off the lights and using her low-light advantage and what was taught to her at the hands of the very group she's fighting to kill the ringleader. Toriel uses her fire magic make light and Sans grabs his human before she can flee. She's absolutely  _sure_ that they'll hate her because she's 'violent' and 'mudery'. They don't though... This leads to more healing, both physical and mental. Eventually, Sans and the human get to the point where they are - at least, if not more so - as easy with each other as they were before all this began. In fact, their bond is much stronger from all the hardships and tests they went through.

 

At this point I have no idea how to end it, although I think these two deserve a happy ending.

* * *

 

  * Once again, this is written with classic Undertale in mind. Simple character swaps (with gentle reworking for personality differences) would be sufficient to use other 'Tale 'verses in general; using a 'Fell 'verse would take a more general overworking of the plot to make things work
  * The human does not necessarily have to be female, or even gendered
  * The way the story is structure right now, it is necessary for Sans to have the ability to see souls as the Judge, but for monsters as a whole to  _not_ have the ability to see souls
  * When Sans is captured, he is mostly likely knocked out and/or bound in some way that doesn't sap his HP. The headcannon on this is that what he is attached to will shortcut with him, so if he is attached to a wall... It is also why his human didn't go through the shortcut with him when she helped him escape- she made sure not to touch him so she could stay behind and bargain herself for their safety
  * Romantic and/or sexual relationship not necessary here- I am a big believer in the three types of more-than-friendship relationships. 
  * Relationships are not necessarily standard, either.
  * When I thought up/dreamt this, it was in the bottom level of a big, towering, multi-level city, where the bottom level was ground-floor; on the surface, but certainly not in the light. This bottom level would intersperse open-air major streets with alleys/paths/marketplaces set under the skyscrapers. For some reason, basements were not a thing. However, this setting is not necessary for the story (nor is the story necessary to use the setting).
  * The parts written with Undyne were meant in a way to explain why Undyne is essentially a non-entity in the story (as written so-far); however, a complete, but explained, lack of Undyne would also work, although Undyne is a great way to stir up trouble or explain why no one else helped the human fight off the house-invaders.
  * In my head, they never got her glasses, since it would take a mage to make an item like that, and mages were extinct; she wore a black blindfold constantly instead, and had learned to navigate using her memory and her ears (listening for sounds, or the lack there of, caused by people/things and a tiny bit of something along the lines of echolocation). For this reason she has no blindspots, though she can be surprised by being distracted or plain not paying attention.
  * Friendship bonds do not necessarily mean an actual type of soul bond. They can be, but the way it was meant was the non-substantial but no less real bond that compels people to come to the aid of their friends in a substantial, mental, and/or fiscal way. 




	4. Female Medicine Seller

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one came from a prompt, of which the title is the only part I can recall. Probably because the prompt mixed with the mystery of "the Medicine Seller" (Kusuriuri) from an anime called "Mononoke" in my head. The art style of the anime is really stylized, like parts of it are the old shadow puppetry (I find it really pretty). This AMV is how I got introduced, so of course I think this is a great introduction to the anime, if anyone's interested: https://youtu.be/nmr5pWp78yw  
> Anyway, the prompt + Kisuriuri spawned this idea of a female merchant who sees almost every interaction with strangers/acquaintances/business partners as business transactions and lives in a world where one can _not_ afford to be kind 'just because' (spoiler, she hides her kindness behind her 'business transactions'). On the flipside, there's a very spoiled prince who's secular and austere kingdom is about to go through times of severe unrest...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't written in a while, so this might be kind a rusty...  
> Also, while I started this at a reasonable time, it's 1:30 in the morning now...  
> It's been so long and I'm so tired I accidentally posted it before it was done. Oh well. It's going to sit here half-done until I get around to finishing/fixing it. That'll have to be tomorrow 'cuz I have work in the morning....
> 
> Well, it wasn't quite 'tomorrow', but I did get it done. Once again, it is quite late/early in the morning and I have work in the morning. Actually, my stepfather woke up (apparently to use the bathroom), and made a big deal of hastening over to the stove and bending down in an exaggerated way to look at the time.... Like I care. I was listening to my music and typing- the only reason I even noticed what he was doing was because he was being so exaggerated about the whole thing. (aka my parents think I'm nuts because it's nearly 4:30 am and think they can dictate my sleep schedule). Jerk.

Our Merchant is in the capital of a... secular kingdom where outsiders aren't very well accepted, because the Merchant Guild ((or family or clan or-)) is looking to see if it's worth expanding into that kingdom and the best place to get a feel for that kind of thing (and obtain permissions to do so) is right in the center next to the home of the royal family themselves. In order to set up an official shop (the only kind allowed in any part of the city not the slums), it is necessary to obtain the permission of the governmental branch in charge of the economics. However, things go much smoother (or rather move at all) when one has the approval and/or an alliance with the native merchant guild. So our Merchant obtained a permit for a temporary stall on the street to sell examples of her wares, and in the meantime is forging a business partnership with the local grouping of merchants. Her own Merchant Guild only deals with either supplying 'bulk' (such as there is) imported materials and/or goods to native merchants, or transporting and selling high-end merchandise to wealthy individuals. However, her Guild plans ((plots, rather)) in the long term, valuing such intangible things as information and connections almost as much as physical currency. They also hold to the ideology of "walk softly and carry a big stick" ((otherwise known as try not to antagonize people but have more than enough ability to protect/defend one's self _and then make it stick._ Has the added benefit that there aren't repeat offenders and no one else would be crazy enough to try that particular offense for a while)).

So our rather mild-mannered but secretly bad-ass Merchant is running a rather clean and well-kept street stall in between business meetings with the heads of the local major merchant families ((think old court politics, but played in a polite, courteous manner rather than a poisonous one)). Over the week or so that she has been there, there has been a rather well-dressed boy who has been making trouble for her. She hasn't forcefully discouraged him from doing so because from the way he dressed and the way he acted, he was clearly some kind of upper noble, probably with a doting, indulgent parent who would  _never_ hear of a word against their 'precious baby' or some such ((entitled parents spawning entitled children... we all know the type)). So she lets him get away with things that she would have beaten him for were he any other class, and holds her tongue for the same reason. She can't go to the city watch for the same reason - they'd believe a noble's spawn (or the noble in question) over her, an outsider, anytime. Ah, bigotry at its' finest. In any case, this kid seems to delight in skipping whatever lessons or duties he has in order to torment her, because she is a foreigner (as he has vocally told her many times, with a variety of admittedly creative expletives). This time, he tries to call the city watch on her. It's a good thing that she's been busy becoming an important trading partner for the major players in the government- they deferentially tell the kid they'd look into it, go through the motions of a surface investigation, but it's clear that they don't have the intention of actually persecuting her. She rides the line between what is acceptable behavior towards a noble above her station and what is not anyway, so that the kid will focus on her rather than the city watch who won't persecute her just because he told them to. It works a little too well, and the kid ends up sweeping everything off of her table before running off. Jerk.

Later that afternoon she's cleaned up, closed her stand, and changed into a rather better quality version of the clothes she prefers to wear when presenting her wares to her client ((a good chunk of her job relies on presentation, the devil is in the details, that kind of thing. Part of it is that people almost  _expect_ that bit of mystery and intrigue in someone selling foreign wares, and almost no one will trust a shabbily presented merchant. A close but not perfect example would be how people won't trust a cook that won't eat their own cooking... So rather than wear a more plebeian cloth, she'll wear her preferred outfit in silk, instead. It goes without saying that she always looks neat and well put-together in public)). She meets the representative of the heads of the local merchants at the same place she has been, in a rather upper-class area ((an inn for traveling nobility, an restaurant with private rooms, a government building...)) and they continue the intricate dance that is negotiating the best deal for their respective parties. However, at the end of that day's negotiations, her contact slips her a tip that she should leave the city ((most likely by careful word choice and emphasis or a sealed letter that was destroyed after it was read- they'd have to be wary of spies, so wouldn't be able to leave physical evidence or trust lowered voices)). Apparently, the current rulers are deteriorated enough and the current heir unlikable enough that several nobles have decided to try their luck with a coup. The ensuing civil unrest will make it  _extremely_ dangerous for foreigners like her no matter the winner. Being the canny and realistic survivor she is, she puts all further negotiations immediately on hold, giving the excuse that her Guild is recalling her ((rather than complicate her lie by giving a reason, she'd probably simply refuse to give a reason for her recall, stating Guild confidentiality if asked or pressed... but if she _did_ give a reason, it would likely be for a time-sensitive mission, or for personal-family emergency. Never a Guild emergency- in case this is a false alarm, there is no reason to go about offending anyone or starting rumors, especially about any weakness in the Guild)). She takes the rest of the afternoon to wrap up any other negotiations or lose ends in a similar fashion, with the same consistent excuse. In the evening, she packs necessities and anything irreplaceable so that she can run at a moments notice. She'll leave in the morning, when it would be less suspicious to do so.

The expected coup comes much earlier than suspected though, and starts during the night. 

The Noble Brat must flee his home, forced to run while he watches his family get slaughtered. At first he's affronted, but the bloodshed ((and the up-close deaths of his parents)) shocks and terrifies him enough to actually do the sensible thing, which is to flee. He... doesn't really have a lot of support from his guards or servants, due to his spoiled and bratty personality, so he ends up running through the route he uses to sneak into the city with only his personal guardsman in attendance ((which is actually a blessing in disguise- the rest of his siblings are either killed in the fighting or are captured when they leave the official escape route and enter the trap)). They're in the city when they're spotted despite the commotion and his singular personal guardsman (the person he's closest to in the whole world besides his younger siblings) ends up sacrificing himself so that the Prince can run. Being actually rather smart and observant ((just hobbled by his spoiled brattiness)), he latches on to the one person whom he can see leaving the city who  _isn't_ fleeing in a blind panic, which just so happens to be the Merchant. Knowing instinctually, if not intelligently, that he will in no way survive if he tries to continue solo, he tries to order her to get him out of the city. No longer needing to be polite or civilized since everything was going to hell and anarchy, her response is along the lines of "hell no". Realizing that he has no authority over her, and no way to enforce his will on her, he reveals that he is the kingdom's heir and tries to bribe her with the idea that he'll one day retrieve his crown and become king. Her answer is still 'no', because the likelihood of that actually succeeding is rare, and in any case, the whole thing would likely happen again, since the stated reason for the coup was the heir's unsuitability. She also calls him ten kinds of selfish idiot, because he revealed to her - a stranger on the street - that he was the heir, and his bodyguard was still busy dying for him down the street. Shaken, scared, and humbled, he  _asks_ her what he has to do for her to get him out of the city, and offers to pay her with what is obviously not only a valuable ((it can be jewelry, it can be a gemstone, whatever it is it has to be rare and worth a LOT of money, since she has to justify the deal to the Guild)), but a personal heirloom of great importance.

... Against her better judgement, she makes a business contract with him. He is no longer allowed to be the Prince and Heir ((If he has a name, he is stripped of it. As far as everyone is concerned, the Heir died that day, and that's the way it'll stay)). He cannot attempt to retrieve his kingdom in any way while under her guidance and care. He is to follow orders first, ask later. He will _not_ be dead weight. She will take the valuable as collateral, and he can pay her to get it back. Should he perish or become useless, the valuable is hers to sell. Win or lose, survive or die, _whatever_ happens, he is not allowed to bring the Merchant Guild into it or mention their part in his initial survival in any way ((Because, technically, the Merchant is breaking the Merchant's Guild neutrality by supporting the survival of the true heir of the kingdom)). The kid agrees, and she escorts him out of the city, through whomever decides to intervene. 

Like the Merchant thought, the kid is almost practically useless in the wilderness they have to travel through to get out of the kingdom in order to get to her backup, but the horror and loss he experienced must have shocked some sense into him, since he actually  _tries_. Even when she reveals to him that she's only half human, and had been hiding that fact from the deeply racist kingdom, he gets over his reaction rather quickly. His reaction is even geared towards shock at her reveal and anger that she had been lying to his kingdom, rather than the bigotry he was almost literally fed with a silver spoon ((although there are some rather hilarious and/or awkward misunderstandings bred from that ingrained stereotyping)) ...He's smart and intuitive enough, that she ends up becoming grudgingly fond of him, and when she realizes that he has a steel core, flexible enough to adapt but hard enough to be dependable- well, by the end of their month's journey or so, she makes him her apprentice.  **Bittersweet possible ending:** She becomes a sort of mother-figure to him, both training and comforting him, especially when the survivors of his family, captured when they tried to escape through the traditional route, are executed in order to consolidate the new ruler's reign.

 

Now, if you want to end the story here, all well and good. But see, I actually had the vaguest idea about how this story would continue. 

 

 

 

** POSSIBLE STORYLINE: **

 

Overtime, the kid - now the Apprentice - grows up into a wiry little fellow ((insert growing/training montage here, or go in depth, or timeskip, author's choice)). She's somewhat become a mother-figure to him, neither hiding nor shielding him from the world, but guiding and supporting him in ways to survive it instead. The Merchant isn't training him to be a KIng. She's training him to take over her job ((as sort of Merchant/Ambassador with a side of Assassin thrown in for self-protection and Guild-protection)), while at the same time protecting him from the people who are starting to hunt him in order to consolidate their rule, despite the official story of him dying in the fighting. The Merchant's superiors in the Merchant Guild - those who do the strategizing and planning in order to keep the Guild safe and prospering, know who the Apprentice used to be before the Coup. A few of the people that the Merchant and her Apprentice work with on a regular basis - their logistic and support group - may also know or have figured it out. But since not only has the Apprentice renounced his birthright, but the Merchant has actually stuck her neck out and claimed him as her Apprentice, the superiors allow it, and absolutely everyone keeps the secret. After all, one of the core tenants of the Guild's reputation is its' discretion. 

Eventually though, everything catches up and the Merchant is killed while protecting her Apprentice from assassins, somehow revealing everything to her Apprentice before she dies. ((This makes more sense if she dies slowly from something while explaining that she has been protecting him. ... It also has more of a feels impact when he has to watch the woman who became his second mother - and taught him more than his birth mother ever did - slowly die to save his life, while making sure that he has the best chance at surviving in the future. The best time for this is when he is functional enough to survive on his own but still rather young. Around the age of 14-16, perhaps)). The Apprentice, having been the Merchant's shadow for the past several years and having been competent and skilled enough to start acting as the Merchant's partner in the year or so before her death is allowed to take her place ((it needs to be some time - he needs to be seasoned in the eyes of the perfection-loving Guild)). He is also allowed to assist with the mission to settle the score caused by the murder of one of their own. 

From here, you can take the Merchant's Guild and the former prince-turned-Merchant anywhere. Perhaps he helps destroy his former kingdom, in retribution for his murdered blood-family and mother-figure ((this plan, properly executed, should take a while. Although the quick (and hard) way would be to level the kingdom, it would strike fear of the Merchant's Guild in the hearts of everyone and embitter people against them. Far harder, but more insidious, to make the kingdom rot and fall into ruin and let the people level it for them. This has the added benefit of striking fear only into the hearts of other plotters)). Perhaps he strikes a deal with the Merchant's Guild, and after helping the Merchant's Guild topple the usurpers he 'regretfully' allows them to emplace him back on the throne as a better alternative ((once again, while faster and easier to do through strength of arms, it lasts longer and means more if it's done from the shadows and the people believe in your side, not the enemy's)). Perhaps he gives the Merchant's Guild information (or helps some other way) and then washes his hands of it, content to wander as the new Merchant.

 

I wrote a chunk of the beginning for this, trying to get my writing mojo back, before it trailed off and I never touched it again. This was back before I had thought out the whole storyline and long before I wrote it up here, by the way. That's why the concepts are slightly different, and why the usurper in this case are the nobles placing the Second Prince on the throne. If you don't want to read it, skip to the line and ignore the italicized bit. 

**Excerpt:**

  _'That kid' was coming around again. The boy (more like a young man) had been hanging around her temporary stall and causing trouble by harassing her and scaring off potential customers. The only reason she hadn't run him off with force yet was because, to her practiced eyes, his clothes were too expensive. In her experience, no one but a noble would be stupid enough to walk the streets in expensive clothes. Not only were they easily ruined, but the sheer expense marked the wearer in the eyes of thieves and merchants alike. Which made the Brat (really a young man) worth more than her life. It was his word against hers, and if she harmed him, the best she could expect would be expulsion from the city. At worst, she would be executed._

_Which didn't make dealing with him any easier._

_"I thought you had been told that dirty peddlers weren't allowed here! What are you still doing here?!" The merchant grit her teeth. Seriously! This kid needed to learn some manners. There was no need to shout, especially with how close he was standing, though to be fair, she had noticed that personal bubbles were much smaller than she was used to here. Taking a step back, she smiled her best, most impersonal customer-smile._

_"As I believe I have explained already, honored sir, I am not a peddler but a merchant selling samples of the main Guild's wares. Nor," she couldn't resist adding, "am I dirty."_

_She really shouldn't have added that last bit though._

_Smirking, the Brat swept a portion of her wares off the table onto the street. He even went so far as to step on her silk and grind it into the dirt. In her tight, formal garments, the merchant had no choice but to fall to her knees to retrieve them, biting her tongue the whole time. Normally, she'd be able to get compensation from someone who acted like this, but a noble's word was worth more than anyone else's, except for a Royal's. She wanted nothing to do with Royals though, so all the kid had to do was say 'the wind took it' or some such other nonsense excuse. In the end, the only thing she could do was bitterly bite her tongue as that **Brat** laughed. _

_"Next time I see you here, I'll call the City Guard! So hurry up and get lost!" Finally, he wandered off as she recovered her merchandise and righted her display. At least she had had the foresight to keep the truly irreparable items behind her, our of reach of the street, so she could at least continue her business._

_It was later, during a meeting with the representative of a local, high-class merchant House she had been forming a working relationship with, that she learned something rather troubling._

_According to her new High-city merchant friends, there had been a lot of unrest in the kingdom over the useless and fobbish First Prince. Even though the title of Heir had yet to be bestowed, and most thought that the title would come to rest on the Second Prince's shoulders, tradition dictated that until such a time as the title was officially bestowed, the First Prince would be the acting Heir._

 

* * *

 

  * In this case, unlike the two previous storylines, gender roles do actually play a bit of a part because of  the stereotypes associated with gender-assigned roles. In this case, it's the perception of the mother-figure and the perception of the responsibilities and freedoms associated with the role of prince. Once again, if there's another way to achieve the same 'feeling' or associations for the reader, go for it.



 

  * As for romantic relationships (and perhaps sexual when the Assistant gets older).... There aren't any at the moment, but there's also no ban on them either.



 

  * In the present presentation of the plot, it is necessary for the setting to be set up the way it is simply for plot/realism purposes. If one does not care about realism and/or can figure out a way to make the plot stand up in a different setting, than by all means, go for it.



 

  * The amount of time that the Merchant is originally in the city needs to be more than a week but less than a month. It can't be shorter than a week because proper negotiations take time, and the Merchant is well enough into the negotiations that her contacts feel fit to warn her to flee the city, but it can't be longer than that because the Bratty Prince would have escalated things much, much farther than calling the local city watch and pushing her wares off her table.



 

  * Reputation is important to the Merchant Guild in this world. It's what makes them powerful, well-known, respectable, and (most importantly) sought after. For that reason, they are only as good as their word - both threats and promises - and what they can accomplish. It's for this reason that every member  _must_ be well presented, capable, discrete, and deadly; the Guild as a whole must be capable, discrete, and dangerous. They can _not_ take a task they cannot fulfill or risk the reputation of their capability; their business relies on the trust in their reputation of being capable and discrete. It's both the reason why the wealthy use them to transport sensitive materials/communiques and trust the quality of their goods, and the reason that common thieves and brigands hesitate to attack their shops and caravans, if they attack at all.  
It is also imperative that the Merchant Guild remains neutral in all fights except the ones in which they are a direct party in. No selling to both sides. No supporting one side over the other. They can't manipulate politics for a similar reason. Supporting one side over the other, only for 'their' side to lose, would result in a hostile nation. Similarly, supporting both sides in a conflict would result in the Guild being declared traitorous. Additionally, the Guild cannot afford to feared as meddlers by ruling governments- this would encourage anti-Guild alliances and/or conspiracies. Supporting a favorable side over an unfavorable side in an economic conflict is expected, though. However, and unexpected side-effect of the Guild's neutrality policy is the fact that they are the preferred neutral third party mediator.  
As someone who is basically an ambassador to other merchant groups in unfriendly countries, part of the Merchant's job is to negotiate solo in an unfavorable, possibly hostile environment in a non-inflammatory, non-antagonistic way. Her backup can't come into those areas, often due to outright laws or restrictions, but also because doing so could cause conflict. It puts her in an often dangerous situation, but it also means that her more unperceptive opponents will often underestimate her by assuming that she is negotiating from a position of weakness. 



 

  * I'm not sure that the Merchant has a name. While I'm not sure if  _any_ of the characters do - it might be one of those fics where people's 'names' are either the titles they are referred to or their jobs (reference the manga "Be Mine, Hero''I refuse!" (Maoyuu Maou Yuusha) if you're confused) - even  _if_ the rest of the characters have actual names, I feel like it's just part of the Merchant's character to be referred to as nothing but "the Merchant", just like the character who inspired her. For those who don't know, "Kusuriuri" literally means drug or medicine seller, and it's the only thing that particular character (who happens to be the main character of the anime/manga) is called.



 

  * Watch the timing on this story. Time periods need to be realistically long - travel times, maturation times, etc. - but also proportional to the kid's lifespan. Depending on what you want to do with the story, either start with how old he is when he was the Noble Brat (short storyline), or start with how old he needs to be when the Merchant dies (long storyline). The kid can't be 12 when he's the Noble Brat and be 14 when the Merchant dies and be competent and skilled enough that the Guild trusts him solo- it's unrealistic. However, if you can figure it out, go for it. Maybe he knows all the ambassadorial skills already and just needs the fighting and survival skills. Maybe he does the almost-impossible and tricks the Guild. However you can work it and make it fit, do it.



 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I am rather rusty at writing, and I'm rather tired. I also am my own Beta, so if you could help my out by poiting out any spelling or grammar mistakes, that would be wonderful.  
> Thanks,  
> Cear


End file.
